A tennis coach who struck and killed Leilani Magno, a 2018 graduate of Eastlake High School, was sentenced Jan. 4 to three years in state prison for hit and run.
George Joseph Espinosa, 47, of Chula Vista, had been free on $100,000 bond, but was taken into custody immediately after sentencing.
Magno, 17, was jogging down a sidewalk on Lane Avenue around 8:10 p.m. in the Eastlake area on July 8 when Espinosa drove his large white pickup onto the sidewalk and struck her. She suffered fatal injuries, and Espinosa drove off without trying to get medical help for her.
Deputy District Attorney Vincent Chen and the probation department asked for a 4-year term prison term, while his attorney sought probation and a lesser sentence. Espinosa worked as a tennis coach at another high school.
Espinosa pleaded guilty Aug. 30 to hit and run and involuntary manslaughter. He could have received a maximum 5-year term.
Chula Vista Superior Court Judge Francis Devaney gave him credit for serving 213 days in jail. No restitution was ordered and Devaney said it could be determined at a later hearing.
Magno was a promising student and had planned to study medicine.
“Leilani was a top scholar and athlete. She was full of promise and potential,” wrote her family on a GoFundMe.com website to help with funeral expenses in July.
